International Green Construction Code to combine work of existing green building codes

As the average U.S. home size shrinks and buyers look greater efficiency and use of green building products, the likelihood for fraud or misleading claims about the green-ness of those homes rises. While there are some green building codes on the books, The International Code Council yesterday took the codification of green construction a step further and announced the release of Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) to regulate construction of new and existing commercial buildings.

The purpose of the IGCC code is to significantly reduce energy usage and greenhouse gasses by addressing site development and land use, including preservation of natural and material resources. Enforcement of the code will improve indoor air quality and support the use of energy-efficient appliances, renewable energy systems, water resource conservation, rainwater collection and distribution systems, and the recovery of graywater.

"We talked to communities who indicate that their voluntary green building programs reach only, but an important, 30 percent of the built environment," Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland said in a statement. "This means that there is a clear need for a regulatory tool to establish a baseline to help jurisdictions meet their sustainability goals."

With governments across the U.S. and around the globe clamoring for a green code to complement voluntary rating systems, the IGCC code, if adopted, can immediately to reduce energy usage as well as the resulting carbon footprint of thousands of commercial building projects. The IGCC initiative was launched in 2009 with Cooperating Sponsors the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and ASTM International.

The work of the ICC/AIA/ASTM team in developing the new International Green Construction Code is now combined with the Standard developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

“Green building codes and standards working complementary to one another is a critical step towards advancing green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. “This collaboration will accelerate the adoption of green building codes and standards developed jointly by ICC, ASHRAE, USGBC and IES, across the country and around the globe as we work collectively towards transforming building design, construction and operations to green practices.”

The International Green Construction Code Public Version 1.0 is free and available for download at the IGCC website.

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